An Intrinsic Calculation For Ecovyst Inc. (NYSE:ECVT) Suggests It's 49% Undervalued

Key Insights

• The projected fair value for Ecovyst is US$22.58 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

• Ecovyst is estimated to be 49% undervalued based on current share price of US$11.60

• Analyst price target for ECVT is US$15.58 which is 31% below our fair value estimate

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Ecovyst Inc. (NYSE:ECVT) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. One way to achieve this is by employing the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple!

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you.

View our latest analysis for Ecovyst

The Method

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

	2023	2024	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032
Levered FCF ($, Millions)	US$142.0m	US$196.5m	US$206.5m	US$214.4m	US$221.4m	US$227.9m	US$234.0m	US$239.8m	US$245.5m	US$251.1m
Growth Rate Estimate Source	Analyst x2	Analyst x2	Analyst x2	Est @ 3.82%	Est @ 3.29%	Est @ 2.93%	Est @ 2.67%	Est @ 2.49%	Est @ 2.36%	Est @ 2.28%
Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 9.3%	US$130	US$164	US$158	US$150	US$142	US$133	US$125	US$118	US$110	US$103

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$1.3b

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.1%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 9.3%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₂ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$251m× (1 + 2.1%) ÷ (9.3%– 2.1%) = US$3.5b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= US$3.5b÷ ( 1 + 9.3%)¹⁰= US$1.4b

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is US$2.8b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$11.6, the company appears quite undervalued at a 49% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

dcf

Important Assumptions

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Ecovyst as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 9.3%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.221. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for Ecovyst

Strength

• Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

• Debt is well covered by earnings and cashflows.

Weakness

• No major weaknesses identified for ECVT.

Opportunity

• Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the American market.

• Good value based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.

• Significant insider buying over the past 3 months.

Threat

• Annual revenue is forecast to grow slower than the American market.

Next Steps:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For Ecovyst, we've compiled three relevant aspects you should look at:

1. Risks: To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Ecovyst .

2. Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for ECVT's future outlook? Check out our management and board analysis with insights on CEO compensation and governance factors.

3. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every American stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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